419 years ago today, the church of San Agustin in Manila was completed. The seat of the archdiocese of the city, it is the oldest house of worship still standing in the country, and together with four others from the Spanish colonial period, has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Surviving independence and WWII, San Agustin is patterned after some of the magnificent temples built by the Augustinians in Mexico. READ more about this famous house… (1607)
Good News in History, January 19
Missing 66-Year-old Hiker is Found–Even After 2-Week Search was Called Off in New Zealand
A 66-year-old man who had been missing in the rugged backcountry of New Zealand for over two weeks has now been found, even though rescue officials called off the search three days ago.
Graham Garnett was discovered alive yesterday sheltering in a hut in the Kahurangi National Park by a crew of contractors who were working in the area.
He’d gone hiking in the Baton/Ellis River area of the park and did not return as expected on December 30.
An operation got underway involving Land Search and Rescue New Zealand and specialist teams from the New Zealand Defense Force, the Rescue Coordination Centre, along with many volunteers and supporters. But no progress was made.
On January 15, the operations team made the difficult decision to call off the search, until any new information might came to light.
“This is an amazing result,” said a statement by the Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Police. “We are so pleased for Graham and his loved ones.”
Kahurangi National Park on the South Island of New Zealand covers 2,005 square-miles (5,193 km2) of mountains, rivers, gorges.
MORE GOOD RESCUES:
• How Valerie the Weiner Dog Survived 18 Months in the Australian Bush to Make it Home
• Missing Toddler Walked 7 Miles Alone Thru Wilderness, Led to Safety by Rancher’s Dog
• Woman Lost 8 Days in the Australian Bush Survives to See Her 4 Children Again ‘It is miraculous’
Rescuers took Mr. Garnett to Nelson Hospital where he was reunited with his family.
“Obviously he has been through quite an ordeal and everyone involved in the search is delighted to hear that Graham has been found alive.”
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Tiny ‘Pouch-Cam’ Provides Rare Glimpse of Endangered Tree Kangaroo Developing Inside its Mother (LOOK)
Amazing “pouch cam” images provide a rare glimpse into the hidden world of an endangered baby kangaroo after he was born the size of a jellybean at a UK zoo.
Experts say the special arrival marks a major conservation milestone for one of the world’s most threatened marsupials—the endangered Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo.
Keepers at the Chester Zoo monitored the pouch-cam between October and December watching the joey’s development inside the kangaroo’s pouch, allowing them to identify it as a healthy male.
The joey arrived to its parents Kitawa and Kayjo, thanks to an international conservation breeding program aimed at ensuring the future survival of the species.
The zoo says the pouch footage (which may be too graphic for some) and the team’s findings are expected to provide valuable insight for similar initiatives worldwide.
“When people think of kangaroos, they rarely imagine small, fluffy animals living high in the treetops,” said Matthew Lloyd, the tree kangaroo expert at the zoo.
“With so little known about tree kangaroos, Kitawa’s joey is a particularly special arrival, and represents a major step forward in understanding and protecting this remarkable species.”
“Being able to carefully track this joey’s development inside the pouch using tiny cameras wasn’t possible only a few years ago, and it’s already helped us learn more crucial information about the early stages of life inside the pouch—knowledge that can now support, and hopefully speed up, our conservation breeding efforts globally.”
The zoo further captured the first few months of the joey, which now weighs 4 pounds (1.85kg), using tiny endoscopic cameras, offering a rare and fascinating insight into the species.
MORE TECH HELP FOR BABY JOEYS: Old Incubators Help Save Orphaned Kangaroos by Imitating Their Mother’s Pouch
It’s just the second time experts have bred the species at the Chester Zoo, with only two zoos in the UK currently caring for the rare animals.
Scientists helped pinpoint the best time for the two kangaroos to be paired by using hormone monitoring, carried out in the zoo’s on-site science laboratory,
the only facility of its kind at a zoo in Europe.
“Every birth like this is incredibly important,” said David White, team manager at Chester Zoo. “It’s been a real team effort. Everything we’ve learned so far will help conservationists around the world.”
What Makes Tree Kangaroos Special
Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) is native to the forests of Papua New Guinea, an island nation north of Australia
Unlike many other kangaroo species, they are mostly solitary animals, spending much of their time resting or sleeping in trees for up to 16 hours a day—but they often sleep head-down, a position that helps rain run off their fur.
MORE KANGAROO GOOD NEWS:
• Kangaroo Has Been Hugging Her Rescuers Every Day Since They Saved Her As an Orphan
• Rescued Young Kangaroo is Convinced He’s a Dog, and Now Loves Life on the Farm
• Wild Baby Kangaroo Still Comes Home to Hug His Teddy Bear After Release
Their joeys weigh just 2–3 grams at birth (about the size of a jellybean). The
newborns make a remarkable climb from the mother’s belly into the pouch shortly after birth—and remain there, suckling and developing, for around seven months before venturing out.
Forest loss and degradation caused by human activity, and a slow reproduction rate, makes populations particularly vulnerable to decline.
Only around 20-25 zoos are caring for or breeding Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos worldwide, usually a single pair, to maintain genetic diversity in a global effort to help the adorable species endure.
“We don’t have a name for the little one just yet, but our choice will be influenced by communities in Papua New Guinea who live alongside tree kangaroos and are now part of efforts to protect their forest homes.”
SHARE THE INCREDIBLE SPECIES With Animal Lovers on Social Media…
Frenchman Battling Cancer Named Sailor of the Year After Winning Treacherous Around-the-World Race
After all he’d been through, battling three-story waves didn’t seem that daunting.
French sailor Charlie Dalin started feeling intense abdominal pains in 2023 and was diagnosed with a six-inch tumor on his small intestine. And it was cancerous.
He’d been planning to race in the Vendée Globe, a famously dangerous 24,000-mile race to circumnavigate the world through boundary waters off southern Africa, Australia, and Antarctica—some of the most treacherous environments on Earth.
Held every four years, the race is nicknamed the “Everest of the Seas” and only a fraction of the participants finish. One entrant disappeared completely.
Surely, Dalin would have to withdraw, right? He couldn’t do this race with cancer, could he?
One highly-regarded doctor told Dalin he could probably still compete if he maintained a strict regimen of daily immunotherapy pills.
“I decided to handle it the way I would when I have a problem on board,” Dalin said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I don’t talk about it when the problem arises. I talk about it when it’s repaired.”
He started exercising and entered a few events as a tune-up for the Vendée Globe. He fought fatigue across the Atlantic in a pair of races between New York City and France. He persevered through the pain and believed he could still enter The Vendée Globe in November 2024.
The only thing left to do was go for it. (Watch the victory video at the bottom…)
Sailors must compete “solo, nonstop, and without assistance” for the duration of the race. Often there are only about 40 competitors willing to brave the frigid temperatures and towering waves in pursuit of glory. Dalin was one of them.
He left France and navigated around the treacherous Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, keeping pace with the competition while staying consistent with his daily medicines.
But near the southern coast of Australia, Dalin faced a critical decision. A massive storm had developed, forcing him to choose a safer and slower route north, or a faster, and potentially perilous route south.
He’d consistently stared down danger and cancer over the last year, so naturally, Dalin went south.
His boat was bombarded by ferocious swells and gale-force winds over the next several days, but he persevered. And when the seas calmed, he was in the lead—on a record-breaking pace.
Near Antarctica, he lost the lead. Near Brazil, he regained it. After more than two months at sea, Dalin became the Vendée Globe champion, crossing the finish line in January 2025 with a time of 64 days, 19 hours—a new race record.
His tumor had grown during the race, but he soon underwent surgery to have it removed.
As a cherry on top, he was named the 2025 Rolex World Sailor of the Year in November and won the 2025 Magnus Olsson Prize in December, which is awarded to sailors who embody excellence, sportsmanship and innovation.
Dalin doesn’t know what the future holds, but he’s working hard to steer his life and his health back to normal—and he’s keenly aware that sometimes life’s sweetest victories lie just beyond the rough seas and dark skies.
MORE STIRRING ADVENTURERS:
• Ex-Paratrooper Who Survived a Horrific 1,000-ft Fall Now Breaks World Records as The Ultimate Runner
• Real-Life ‘Aladdin’ Jumps From Mountain Peak on a Flying Carpet in Thrilling Video
• Man is Creating 1,500-Mile Trail Across Texas for Hikers, Bikers and Horses, Investing $10,000 to Get it Done
“I am the happiest man in the world today, that’s for sure,” Dalin said after winning the Vendée Globe. “These are crazy emotions I’ve never felt before. Crossing the line with the dawn light shining on perfectly smooth water, the boat gliding along. It was simply fabulous. An explosion of emotions in my head (and) immense joy. It is, by far, the most beautiful finish of my entire career.”
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Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny
Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)
Here is your weekly horoscope…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of January 17, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Sandcastles are good reminders of how temporary everything is. We build them on the damp edge of the shore after the tide recedes, and then they crumble when the sea rolls back a few hours later. Let’s make the sandcastle your power symbol for the months ahead. In doing so, I don’t mean to imply that your certainties will be demolished. Rather, it’s my way of urging you to enjoy and capitalize on the ever-changing nature of all things. In fact, I believe that knack should be one of your specialties in the coming months. As the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh told us, we should be grateful for impermanence, because it keeps every possibility alive.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
During World War II, the United States faced a natural rubber shortage and funded research into synthetic substitutes. The effort was partly successful, but there were also failed experiments. Among these was a substance that later became a popular toy named Silly Putty. It sold millions of units and made its marketer wealthy. I suspect a metaphorically similar breakthrough is looming for you, Aquarius: an unplanned discovery that holds unforeseen value. You may soon have your own “Silly Putty moment”—an invention, idea, or situation that is technically a detour from your original goal but still delivers a gift. So keep your curiosity loose and your judgment soft. Don’t dismiss the byproducts of your efforts. Some diversions may reveal themselves to be the magic you didn’t realize you needed.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
I suggest you try an “as-if” exercise, Pisces. Here’s what I propose: Enjoy a five-day period visualizing what your life would be like if you stopped saving yourself for a mythical future—including both the positive and negative aspects. Instead, envision yourself spending the coming months doing exactly what you yearn to do most, gleefully and intensely pursuing your sweetest dreams and prime mission. During this sabbatical, you will refrain from invoking excuses about why you can’t follow your bliss. You will assume that you are attuned with the heart of creation. You will act as if you are a joy specialist who adores your life.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Japanese Zen master Hakuin (1686–1769) painted with astonishing vigor well into his eighties. When asked his secret, he said he treated each brushstroke as if it were his first. He approached the ink and paper with a beginner’s inspired innocence. I propose that you adopt a version of Hakuin’s practice. Dive into your familiar routines with virgin eyes. Allow your expertise to be influenced by surprise. As for the mastery you have earned, may I suggest you use it as a launching pad for enthusiastic amateurism? Being skilled is wonderful. Being skilled and willing to experiment like a newcomer? That’s the high art of perpetual combustion, an Aries specialty.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In 1971, NASA’s Apollo 15 mission delivered a new asset to the moon: the Lunar Roving Vehicle. This battery-powered “moon buggy” enabled astronauts to explore farther from their landing site than ever before. They gathered a record haul of rock and soil samples and a deeper understanding of the lunar surface. I think you Bulls would be wise to get your own equivalent of that moon buggy. The apt metaphor here is enhancing your ability to extend your reach and explore beyond the familiar. In the coming weeks, I hope you will seek access to tools, allies, and freedoms that expand your range. Use them to push into new territory and scout around for intriguing valuables.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Are you ready to unveil the half-hidden, half-beautiful truths you have been keeping tucked away? I think you are. You might shake, sweat, and second-guess yourself right up until the moment the pivotal moment arrives. But then, I predict, you will zone in on how best to carry out your sublime assignment. The perilous blessings or radiant burdens you’ve been hoarding like secret treasures will finally spill out of you in just the right ways.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
A hermit crab finds a new shell not because the old one was bad, but because the creature grew. A similar urge stirs in you now: an instinct to relocate your sensitivity and tenderness into roomier housing. You don’t have to abandon your favorite people or situations. Just ripen and update your containers so your emotional intelligence can flourish even more. Maybe revise your work rhythms. Dream up new bedtime stories. Be braver in declaring your needs. Your ongoing transformations could be a bit bumpy, but mostly healing and cherished. Give them the spaciousness they require.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Poet Jack Gilbert wrote, “We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure but not delight.” Here’s what I think he meant: Pleasure is easy to access, available in many transactions. But delight requires courage. We must be undefended enough to be astonished and elated. Here’s the potential glitch for you Leos: You sometimes feel inclined to perform your joy; you make your happiness into entertainment for others to be inspired by. But true delight is riskier and more real. It comes when you forget to curate yourself because you’re too enchanted to remember you’re being watched. Your next assignment: Conjure up three moments of private delight that no one but you will see.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Many of you are renowned for your precision, but that’s just half the story. The more complete truth is that when you are most robust, you’re a connoisseur of refinement. Your careful edits can transmute muddles into medicines. Your subtle fixes may catalyze major corrections. Here’s my bold declaration: You are now at the height of your Virgo powers. I hope you wield them with utter flair and finesse. Make everything you touch better than it was before you touched it.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Some astrologers work without ever glancing at the night sky. Their bond with the planets lives mostly through abstract ideas. To balance that approach, Daniel Giamario developed a more hands-on approach to astrology. In his retreats, students trek into wild country, far from city lights, and spend the dark hours watching the dance of the heavenly bodies. He teaches that cosmic energies can be sensed through our beautiful bodies as much as they can be understood by our fine minds. In the weeks ahead, I invite you to infuse all your explorations with that spirit. Learn through direct encounters, not just through concepts and recycled reports.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
English is my first language. I love how its wild, hybrid, restless qualities enable me to express myself. I never grow weary of exploring its limits and discovering new ways to use it with flair and care. But I am also very grateful that my horoscopes are translated into Italian, French, Japanese, and Spanish. I am supremely blessed to have editors who turn my idiosyncratic prose into language that non-English speakers can enjoy. It’s one of the great gifts that life has given me. In the coming months, Scorpio, I will be wishing and expecting a similar bonus for you: help and support in expanding your ability to reach further in your self-expression.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Your intrepid spirit is most likely to find exciting adventures if it’s exquisitely prepared. While I love your daring spontaneity and experimental expansiveness, I hope that in the coming weeks, you will work hard to support them with good planning and rigorous foresight. Be imaginative and disciplined, wild and calculating, irrepressible and solidly responsible. If you heed my advice, you could break your previous records for making marvelous discoveries in the frontiers. PS: Treat wonder like a muscle. Flex it daily—with gratitude.
WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com
(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)
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“If men could only know each other, they would neither idolize nor hate.” – Elbert Hubbard
Quote of the Day: “If men could only know each other, they would neither idolize nor hate.” – Elbert Hubbard
Image by: Lluis Bazan
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Good News in History, January 18
83 years ago today, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosted its first-ever jazz concert. A star-studded lineup of performers was acquired from around the country to bring the once-discriminated musical genre to the highest echelons of American society, including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Lionel Hampton, Jack Teagarden, Mildred Bailey, and Benny Goodman. Sponsored by the National Women’s Council of the Navy League of the United States, New York City papers described the musicians as performing like “sober monarchs,” who were “too sedate” and “perhaps… awed by the fact they were playing in the tradition-filled Met.” READ what else the papers said… (1944)
12-yo Saves Mom’s Life by Taking the Wheel and Calling for Help After She Passed Out Driving (WATCH)
This is the inspiring moment a hero 12-year-old saved his mother’s life by grabbing the wheel then calling for emergency services after she collapsed while driving in the neighboring country of England.
Quick-thinking Zac Howells managed to take control of Nicola’s car and steer it to safety—after she passed out behind the wheel while traveling at 60mph.
The 37-year-old lost consciousness, yet her foot remaining on the accelerator before Zac managed to slow the car down before hitting a barrier.
Once the vehicle had stopped on the A40 near Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, he switched off the engine and used the phone to call emergency services.
West Mercia Police has released an audio file of the call that shows Zac staying completely calm while directing call-handlers to their location—even though it was in Wales, across the border.
Zac can be heard saying, “I’m driving on a motorway and my mom just fainted so I had to crash the car to stop.
“Her foot went down on the pedal and it started accelerating, so I had to crash into the barrier. I’m really scared.”
Then, when Nicola regained consciousness, Zac told her, “It’s alright. Calm down, it’s fine. Hold my hand.
“Mum…” he said, continuing to soothe her… “Breathe.”
“I just drove the car. It’s really easy.” (Hear the call in the video below…)
Nicola repeatedly apologies as Zac continues to reassure her. “It’s fine, I’m worried about you—not me… I knew we were going to be fine.”
This week, Zac was commended for his bravery when the police department awarded him a Chief Constable’s Commendation.
He visited the force’s HQ in Worcester, meeting the call-handlers and officers who responded to the incident in December.
Nicola, from Wales, told the BBC she was “just so proud of him” and “so appreciative” of the effort that everyone made to create a “fuss” over Zac.
Nicola and Zac had been traveling from Wales to the Birmingham Christmas market when the drama unfolded.
During the award ceremony, Chief Constable Richard Cooper said:
“I am delighted to present Zac with this award today following what must have been an extremely frightening experience for such a young boy.
“For a 12-year-old to react in such a calm and mature manner is magnificent, and I would like to express my gratitude for his actions that day.
“His display of bravery certainly extinguished any danger to them both—but also that of other members of the public who were on the road that day.”
HAIL THE YOUNG HERO – Share His Call on Social Media…
100-Year-old D-Day Hero Fulfills Final Wish to be Awarded Campaign Medal From France After Helping Liberate Her
One of the last D-Day heroes has fulfilled his final wish, after being granted a medal recognizing his role in the historic invasion of June 6, 1944.
Don Butt was presented with the medal last week, more than 80 years since he lived through the horrors of the Normandy landings in France.
The 100-year-old said the medal would ‘complete his life’ prompting a race against time to get the French authorities to approve it before he died.
And in an emotional meeting, Don was handed the insignia by the Royal Marines in what his family said was a ‘dream come true’ for him.
Don signed up to the Marines when he was 17 and just a year later was part of the landing crew in the first wave at Juno Beach.
Don was in the direct firing line and watched friends and colleagues killed in front of him. He recalls being in the water and clinging to ropes with bombs and bullets flying all around him to enable waves of troops ashore.
For decades he didn’t speak about the day and has only recently opened up to family and friends, after living with the mistaken belief that he was “too young” to be entitled to a medal.
After sharing his story with a fellow marine, efforts were made on his behalf to get him the Légion d’honneur from the French authorities.
It was confirmed that his age ‘doesn’t matter’ but an initial application for his medal, submitted in 2024, was rejected for reasons that were not disclosed.
Following advice from the Ministry of Defense, a second application was submitted last year—and the French authorities were praised by The Royal Marines Historical Society for speeding up the process when the omission became clear.
“The medal means everything to dad,” said his daughter Karen Cetin of Somerset. “He always said it was something he would love to have.”
“We were in a bit of a race against time. He is 100 and it was very important to him—and to us—that he was recognized before it was too late.
“As a family we are all so proud of his achievements and think he fully deserves it.”
The awarding of the medal was accompanied by a letter from Hélène Duchêne, the Ambassador of France to the United Kingdom:
I have the pleasure of informing you that the President of the Republic has appointed you to the rank of Chevalier in the Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur by decree of 13 June 2025.
I offer you my warmest congratulations for this high honor, which recognizes your military engagement and steadfast involvement in the Liberation of France during the Second World War.
As we contemplate this Europe of peace, we must never forget the heroes like you who came from Britain and Commonwealth to begin the liberation of Europe by liberating France. We owe our freedom and security to your dedication, because you were ready to risk your life.
Speaking from his care home about his new medal, Don said: “It’s the last one missing from my medals. It is my final ambition—my final wish—to get that medal.
“It would make all the places I’ve been, and what I’ve done, complete.
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“I’ve just had my 100th birthday which was wonderful. My worries have all gone. I can not thank everyone enough for trying.”
He previously acknowledged he never applied for one after leaving the marines and hadn’t thought about it until he shared his story with a fellow former marine who “got the ball rolling. “He was able to get my records and help me apply.”
Don, a father-of-four, who has great-great-grandchildren and was married for 66 years, had previously said he was just 17-and-a-half when he first went into the marines.
“We were on the landing craft that took over French and Canadians on D-Day. I couldn’t go fully onto the beach. That was the officer’s orders. He said ‘you must not go up the beach—you are too young.’
“Our job was to land the troops, come back and then go back again. We went back to the ship and then went back three times to land troops in Cherbourg.
“I can still see all the D-Day landing troops going in. The sea was very rough and we were surrounded by all the carnage of war.
MORE HEROES TO REMEMBER:
• D-Day Hero Gets Over 200 Cards to Celebrate His 100th Birthday
• A Stranger’s Kindness Helped Boy Escape the Nazis Who Would Go On to Win Nobel Prize–And He Never Knew it
• US Honors 98-yo Irish Woman Whose Storm Forecast Fortuitously Delayed D-Day Landings, Changing Course of WWII
“There were shots going off everywhere, shells, bombs. I remember all that. I was very frightened, of course, but after a few minutes you sort of settle down and get used to it in a strange way.
“I had my friends with me and when you feel you’ve got your mate with you, you feel more secure.
“We were lucky overall. We only lost one man from our regiment. But I can remember it vividly—there were just so many ships.”
In total he clocked up a staggering 42,000 miles at sea during the war.
Daughter Karen said he only started talking about his war time exploits very recently.
“I am really glad he has started to talk about it. It’s a horrible thing to deal with and never talk about. I am so pleased he opened up and got it off his chest. He is just a modest man and I think only last year he realized how proud of himself he should be.”
John Rawlinson, of the Royal Marines Historical Society, who helped Don with his application said: “We are delighted that Don has received his medal, as a young man he was one of the generation who were willing to give all for their country and their friends and families.
“The Royal Marines and the wider Commando community are proud he is one of their family—once a marine, always a marine.”
CONSIDER SHARING THE STORY With WWII Fans On Social Media…
Wife Wins $4.5 Million Mansion After Ignoring Husband’s Advice ‘Not to Bother’
A wife who ignored her spouse’s suggestion to stop entering contests has won a mansion worth nearly $5 million, saying, “This is precisely why I never listen to my husband”.
Nicola Dickinson became an instant multi-millionaire after winning the spectacular home in England’s Lake District—which comes mortgage-free and fully furnished, with its own private lake.
She bought her winning entry for just £25 ($33) as part a drawing from Omaze, a group that arranges contests, giving away fantastic prizes, as a means to raising money for charity.
After the win, Mrs. Dickinson revealed that her husband of 38 years repeatedly told her she would “never win in a million years”—advice she’s now very glad she “ignored”.
“I’ve been entering for four years and Martyn has been moaning at me to stop. I liked that even if I didn’t win, I was supporting amazing charities.
“But winning has shown this is precisely why I never listen to him, and thank goodness I didn’t—we’re multi-millionaires now!”
The day Omaze contacted Nicola, she was at home in Swindon, Wiltshire, talking to her husband about potentially downsizing.
“The day we found out I’d won, I was at home, looking after my granddaughter and doing a spot of boring housework. When I got the call from Omaze, I honestly didn’t think it was real. I put the phone down and said to my husband, ‘That was Omaze, apparently I’ve won something, but it can’t be real.’
“Then they called back and said they were outside. I was thinking best case scenario I may have won £1,000, but the next thing I know, Omaze is telling me I’ve won a £4.5 million house. We celebrated with lots of bubbles over the weekend. Dry January never stood a chance.”
“We’d actually been talking that very morning about downsizing soon to try and keep on top of our spending, but now we’ve upsized—massively. It’s a funny old world.”
She was also given £250,000 in cash to help her settle in—and can choose to either live in the house, rent it out for supplementary income, or sell it whenever she wishes to become a cash multi-millionaire.
“Martyn was joking that he’s a little disappointed he didn’t win the Porsche 911, but I’ve reminded him that if he plays his cards right, I can afford to buy him one now, so he shouldn’t be too upset!
“My husband was actually worrying that morning that we’d spent too much on the card at Christmas – if I’d have known I was going to win an Omaze house, I’d have spent twice as much!”
OTHER OMAZE WINNERS:
• Man Who Spent his Life Helping Disabled People Find a Home Has Won a £2.5million Country House in a Raffle
• Student Nurse Had to Couch Surf – But She Just Won a $5M Home in London
• Watch the Moment a Dad From Public Housing Wins Stunning Home Worth 2.5 Million in Charity Drawing
As to what the impact will be on her family, she said: “We’ve worked hard our whole lives, not just for ourselves but for our family, and this win really does change everything for all of us.
“We’re looking forward to further supporting our children and grandchildren, to help give them the best possible start in life; the win feels like a generational legacy for our family.
“We don’t know exactly what we’re going to do long-term, but what we do know is that, definitely, we’re going to come up and enjoy it together, spend time here with family and friends whilst making memories we never imagined we’d be able to.
“This win has taken so much pressure off us financially. It gives us security, stability, and peace of mind in a way we’d never even dreamed of. I turn 60 in May, and for the first time, we can actually think about slowing down and enjoying life together.”
A woodland driveway leads to Nicola’s tranquil property which features five bedrooms, floor-to-ceiling windows, solar panels, a floating staircase, a huge open floor plan, and panoramic views of the lake and surrounding countryside, with a waterside wooden jetty that includes a sauna, hot tub, and outdoor shower.
As well as making Nicola a multi-millionaire, Omaze partnered with the RSPCA, the UK’s leading animal welfare charity.
MORE GOOD WINS: Trucker With 5 Million Accident-Free Miles Wins Custom Semi and $50,000 as the 2025 Road Warrior Champion
The £1M funneled from the Omaze Community will help support the RSPCA’s rehabilitation work, providing neglected and abused animals with the specialist care they need.
“Omaze offers people the chance to win extraordinary prizes—while also raising vital funds for charities doing extraordinary work… We’ve now raised over £100 million for good causes across the UK.”
Drawings for other Omaze homes in the UK are ongoing at omaze.co.uk.
Rowing Team’s Breathtaking Face-to-Face with Whale Caught on Film While Crossing Atlantic (WATCH)
Incredible footage shows a team of rowers coming face to face with a whale in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
The 4-man team encountered the animal midway through their 3,000-mile (4,800km) adventure to raise money for charity.
SWNS news reported that the men were suddenly surrounded by a pod of four or five whales surfacing and diving alongside their boat.
The video shows one of the mammals breaching right next to the side of their boat—and the ‘Get Busy Rowing’ team feared their vessel could be struck.
Three of the rowers, Will Towning, Greg Collins, and Chris Betts, are from England, and the fourth member, Elliot Collins, lives in Connecticut.
“It was the most surreal moment of my life,” Elliot exclaimed.
“It was unbelievable,” said one of the members. “All I just heard was ‘whale, whale, whale, whale’, and then I got out of the cabin just in time to see it.”
The team are competing in the World’s Toughest Row, which is a transatlantic unassisted rowing race from the Canary Islands (off the coast of Africa) to Antigua in the Caribbean.
ALSO WATCH: Seal Flops onto Photographer’s Boat to Escape Hunting Orca Pod–She Captured it All on Camera
So far, the team has raised nearly £12,000 ($15,000) for the Matt Hampson Foundation, which inspires and supports young people seriously injured while playing sports. Their Get Busy Living center in rural Leicestershire was opened in 2018 by ex-rugby player Matt Hampson, who himself experienced a life-changing injury in 2005.
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“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” – Winston Churchill
Quote of the Day: “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” – Winston Churchill
Image by: Petr Slováček for Unsplash+
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Good News in History, January 17
65 years ago today, President Eisenhower went on television to deliver his farewell address after two full terms as president. He prepared it along with his brother Milton and chief speechwriter, calling it a “solemn moment in a decidedly unsolemn time” where he would attempt with every fiber in his lungs to warn a nation “giddy with prosperity, infatuated with youth and glamour, and aiming increasingly for the easy life,” that the country was on the path to a ruinous future if her citizens did not keep strict watch over what he described as the dual threats of a vast “Military-Industrial Complex” and the “Scientific-Technological Elite.” READ excerpts from the speech you may not have heard before… (1961)
After 70 Years of Marriage, Virginia Couple Finally Had Their Dream Wedding
At the dawn of their ninth decades of life, a couple that eloped 70 years ago decided to renew their vows with the wedding they never got to have.
Falling in love at a skating rink in the dawn of their second decades of life, Harold Pugh, 91, and Frances Pugh, 90, could hardly wait for the minister to finish the traditional reading before saying “I do.”
“After all these years, I still love him, I cherish him, I appreciate all he’s done for me over these years,” Frances told WTVR News.
The occasion, in Virginia’s quaint town of Hopewell, marked the couple’s 70th wedding anniversary, when it was done back in the 1950s at a county registry or some such place, maybe in blue jeans, pens in hand.
But having covered a distance together that few in America will ever match, the lovebirds decided that they should do something special. They finally got to have that classic experience: a flower girl, an aisle, something borrowed and blue, etc.
“Traveling, riding roller coasters in your 90s, hosting Bible studies in your home, we see in you a pair blessed by God with years of life and the wisdom to take advantage of every opportunity to live,” the officiant said, without a dry eye in the room.
MORE INSPIRING MARRIAGES:
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The room, such as it was, was filled with close family and friends, each of whom had years of testimony to not only the couple’s faith towards each other, but the community as well. Some testified that they always put others before themselves, while others chose to tell the cameras that they were an “inspirational” couple.
When the time came, when the question was posed—”to have and to hold, in sickness and in health..” the answer was clear as the stones in Frances’ earrings: “I do”.
WATCH the video news report of their big day on the WTVR YouTube Here…
Buddhist Monks on Peace Walk Receive New Escort Vehicle Following Near Fatal Crash
A Texas small business owner donated a new car to a group of Buddhist monks crossing America on foot after their previous vehicle was destroyed in a collision.
In October, almost 20 Buddhist monks set out from Fort Worth on a 2,300-mile walk toward Washington, DC with a goal of promoting unity and compassion.
They were being followed by an escort vehicle carrying donated supplies, but in the following month, the car and several of the monks were victims in a serious collision that left the former totaled, and 4 of the latter hospitalized.
A roofing company owner in Dayton, Texas, where the incident occurred, saw the news and felt compelled to help.
“I saw that and I was like, ‘No, they need some help. We gotta help them. They’re walking for us — why can we not put something for them?’” said Osbaldo Durán.
Durán outfitted a fully-insured Toyota Rav4 with new tires and extra safety lights, while also going the extra mile to change the oil and fill up the tank before offering it to the monks in an act that he himself might not have known is called “Dana” in the Buddhist tradition.
Dana, meaning “charity” in Pali, the ancient Indian language the Buddha’s teachings were written in, is the act of laymen and laywomen going out of their way to offer food, clothing, shelter, or medicine to those living the holy life.
There are two interpretations of Dana’s importance, the first is that it affects Karma, a sort of moral destiny that sees those who are compassionate and charitable in one life be rewarded with a higher birth (in the realm of men or gods) in the next life, and those who are wicked be rewarded with a birth in the lower realms of animals, hungry ghosts, and hells.
MORE BUDDHIST STORIES: Sotheby’s Auction of Sacred Gemstones Found Next to Buddha’s Ashes is Halted as India Intervenes
Another, more recent interpretation of Dana is that it fills the mind space, occupying it in lieu of covetous thoughts that arise from attachments.
Whether Durán knew any of this before he performed this substantial act of Dana is anyone’s guess, but in doing so he embodied one of Buddha’s greatest teachings, that Buddha-nature lies in anyone, and that anyone can unlock it and become a Buddha in subsequent lives.
ALLOW CHECK OUT: These Trees Survived Hiroshima: Group Plants Their Seeds Worldwide to Preserve Their Memory
Local Texas news KPRC 2 captured a little of the moment when the monks, some walking without shoes, and accompanied by a faithful dog they had taken in as a stray in their previous monastic life in India, received the vehicle at the Dayton Fire Department, where the group was resting.
The monks passed through Jackson, Mississippi just before Christmas, and are currently in Charlotte, NC, where so many people turned out to wish them well and see them pass by that the traffic situation looked as if the Tour de France was on the road.
WATCH the story below…
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Mauritius Restores Reefs with Heat-Resistant Coral and Sees 98% Survival Rates
When a significant coral bleaching event swept across the reefs of Mauritius last summer, one small group of corals remained as vibrant as ever.
While neighboring wild reefs experienced bleaching rates as high as 80%, Dr. Nadeem Nazurally’s reefs experienced just as much, and often more, in survival rates
Nazurally is naturally breeding heat-resistant corals to resist just such events, and the first major acid test shows that such coral management methods hold real potential for protecting these vibrant marine ecosystems for decades to come.
The island nation of Mauritius, off Africa’s east coast, is home to nearly 250 coral and hydrozoan species. The reefs they form anchor the livelihoods of both humans and fish, supporting fisheries that produce to the tune of billions, and act as home for one-fourth of all Mauritius’ sea life.
Since 1998 when the islands recorded their first coral bleaching, the reefs have been thusly cooked on 4 more occasions, the most recent being last summer when water temperatures reached 88°F. Previous bleaching events gradually revealed that regular coral restoration strategies—of cloning from cut offs of robust individual colonies—was no longer viable.
With the government and the UN subsidizing restoration efforts, new methods were needed. Organizations like the Mauritius Oceanography Institute, and the University of Mauritius, and Odysseo Oceanarium, now work to advance the science of heat-resistant coral breeding, and Nazurally’s success seen last summer is a testament to the progress the country’s marine science community has made.
The science of coral breeding has come a long way in the last decade. Corals being animals, they reproduce much like other marine invertebrates: exogenously—but in a way that is extremely difficult to predict, since it’s done in perfect synchronicity across entire reefs, often in single evenings and lasting for just hours.
Odysseo has leveraged advancements made worldwide in the science of predicting spawning events to create a program of timing coral reproduction and collecting eggs and sperm from the corals by boat.
These are then used to breed corals in protected nurseries, with those coral phenotypes that survive in warmer water being selected to reproduce.
MORE SCIENCE ALONG THESE LINES:
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- Once Devastated Pacific Reefs See Amazing Rebirth, Recovering With ‘Shocking Speed’
- 4 Decades of Data Suggests Pacific Coral Reefs Can Acclimate to Warming Oceans and Resist Future Bleaching
A study published by Dr. Nazurally in the summer showed that the hydrozoan genus (similar to coral) Millepora, when bred in this way, showed a 99.8% survival rate during the bleaching, compared to an 88% average rate across all coral genera, and a 10% survival rate for corals bred with previous methods and without a focus on heat-resistance.
The study also examined the differences in how coral grew when cultivated on a floating platform midway down the water depth, and when grown on the seabed. The results suggested that in areas of high development that are popular with tourists, floating platforms protect the corals from damaging sedimentation, while less frequented zones would merit a seabed nursery approach.
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Archaeologists Unearth Wall Section at Important Silk Road City Which Traded in ‘Heavenly Horses’
A joint archaeological mission from China and Uzbekistan has uncovered the walls of an important Silk Road city.
After 2 years of excavations, the team has discovered the foundations of palaces, city gates, residential buildings, the layout of streets, and craft workshops in a settlement known as Kuva.
Located in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, not far from the Chinese border, it would have been one of the first stops on the Silk Road beyond the scorching Tarim Basin.
Kuva is believed to have been inhabited between the 3rd century BCE and 10th century CE, over a period when it changed hands from the Achaemenid Persians to the Macedonians, then to the Parthians, the Sogdians, and finally to a new Persian dynasty.
In 2023, China’s Luoyang Archaeological Institute partnered with the Fergana State University in Uzbekistan to excavate the 110,000 square meter-area believed to contain the remains of the city.
Just recently the team found a section of standing walls buried beneath the soil, confirming earlier inferences that the walls had been rebuilt many times over the city’s long existence.
The head of the joint expedition from the Chinese side, Mr. Liu Bin, told Xinhua that gathering detail on how the walls were constructed can help put reliable timestamps on when each civilization controlled Kuva, as well as demonstrating the architectural styles of these varied groups.
Kuva, and the Fergana Valley where it’s found, have played an important role in Chinese history.
As the first rulers of a united China, the emperors of the Han Dynasty fought numerous wars with a tribal confederacy of nomadic horsemen to the north called the Xiongnu, in order to keep the way to the west open.
That way turned into the Great Silk Roads, one of the first stops on which was Fergana. It’s known by Chinese historians that part of the Han Dynasty’s success in fighting the Xiongnu lay in a trade agreement to secure horses from the Fergana Valley
These ‘Heavenly Horses’ as the Han called them, were stronger and faster than those found on the North China Plain—a vital addition to the Han army fighting the mobile Xiongnu, and Kuva would have almost certainly helped facilitate that trade of horses for silk and jade.
SILK ROAD TALES: Stunning Tang Dynasty Mural Unearthed in China Portrays a ‘Westerner’ with Blonde Hair
The Silk Roads were lined with successful trading outposts, which during times when the trade was prosperous grew to become princely city-states. But as soon as instability broke apart the delicate nodes of this distributed trans-Asiatic network, these cities could face bankruptcy and starvation remarkably quickly.
The paths of the Silk Roads are littered with ruins that date to these collapses in trade, one of which, World at Large reported last year, was surveyed in southeastern Uzbekistan near the border with Afghanistan for the first time. The two settlements, called Tugunbulak and Tashbulak, appear to have been centers of mining, iron smelting, and finished goods production for nomadic types that had made the cities something of a base camp.
Found as lately as 2015 in the valley of Mal’guzar, the cities were beyond the reach of any established kingdom, and so operated quite independently while sustaining themselves on the trade of the Silk Road’s southern branch which ran through Afghanistan and eastern Iran.
MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Scientists Create a Google Maps of the Roman Empire–Plan Your Trip Along Their Famous Roads
Cities like Kuva and Tugunbulak are vital to understanding the history of the ebbs and flows of trade along this most famous of roads, and excavations in the former will continue for some time yet, with hopefully more exciting discoveries to come.
“Next year it is planned to conduct systematic excavations on the territory of the palaces in order to further get a complete picture of the layout and functional zoning of the settlement,” Liu Bin added.
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“Accept what people offer. Drink their milkshakes. Take their love.” – Wally Lamb
Quote of the Day: “Accept what people offer. Drink their milkshakes. Take their love.” – Wally Lamb
Image by: Kateryna Hliznitsova for Unsplash+
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Good News in History, January 16
50 years ago today, Frampton Comes Alive! was released in the US to critical acclaim. As arguably the most famous live album ever made, the versions it contains of Frampton’s singles “Do You Feel Like We Do” and “Baby, I Love Your Way” monopolized radio airtime such that many people have never even heard the studio recordings. Along with “Show Me The Way” all three were released as singles off the live record, and all three reached the top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100. READ a bit more about this famous album… (1976)
Inspired by Asthma Attack, New Delhi Teens Recycle 2 Million Pounds of Waste Across 14 Indian Cities
Youth comes with gifts: one of them is the inability to recognize when you should be intimidated.
When two teenagers in New Delhi wanted to do something to improve the city’s waste collection, age and experience would have told them that they were out of their minds.
Yet just a few short years later and their nonprofit runs segregated waste collection in 14 Indian cities, and the teens picked up the International Children’s Peace Prize in honor of their work in public sanitation and environmental management.
But before they were recognized among global youth movements for staring down the problem of trash and recycling, Vihaan and Nav Agarwal were just trying to deal with asthma.
Vihaan’s cough and shortness of breath was caused almost without a doubt by the Delhi air quality, which is worsened so substantially by routine garbage burning. In 2017, when his asthma was getting more severe, part of the steaming Ghazipur landfill, sometimes called a “garbage mountain,” collapsed and spilled its fetid mass all over the local streets. Then it caught fire, bathing the city in apocalyptic smoke.
Seeing it, Vihaan realized his cough would never get better unless Delhi did a better job recycling its garbage. He and his brother started by separating waste at home into the classic categories, only to be told that their small household bags wouldn’t be taken by trash collection.
In the face of their first rejection, many would surely have conceded, but not the Agarwal brothers. They instead canvased their neighbors and created a little union of waste separation. When 15 households demanded their separated waste be taken for recycling, the authorities relented.
BETTER INDIA: These Indian Cafes Let You Pay with Garbage: 1 Kilo of Plastic Gets You Rice, Two Curries and Dal
“The main issue in waste management is that everybody thinks it’s not their job, or if the waste is out of their house, it’s out of their mind,” Vihaan told Euro News.
From 15 households, their imitative, OneStepGreener, now manages the segregated waste of 3,000—all of it taken to warehouses where workers ensure it’s further divided—newspapers are separated from A4 printing paper, PET plastic from polypropylene, and computer screens from keyboards. The more precise the separation, the better chance it will be recycled properly.
MORE WASTE MANAGEMENT STORIES: Romania Hits 94% Recycling After Launching Largest Return Plan in the World
The initiative also plants trees in urban areas to help combat air pollution, and it recently finished recycling 2 million pounds of waste: officially the same amount as what New Delhi’s 33 million urbanites generate in a day.
Nav Agarwal tells Euro News that if it can be done in Delhi, one of the largest, most polluted cities in the world, it can be done anywhere.
WATCH their work first hand below…
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